Andong City โฃPioneers โEco-Kind Hygieneโ Solutions, From Daycare Dishes to Festival Waste
Andong, Gyeongbuk Province โฃ- Andongโ City โขis making significant strides in both public health and environmentalโข sustainability with a โขmulti-prongedโ approach to hygiene โคand waste reduction,โค impacting โฃeverything from children’s mealtime to large-scale festivals. A new “Children’s House Battling Washing Presentation Project” and a successfulโ reusable container โขsystem at recent events areโ showcasing the city’s commitment โฃto a cleaner, greener future.
Launched โlast โmonth in โขpartnership โขwith the Andong Regional Self-Support โคCenter, the โฃplate washing projectโ is โcurrently โoperating at four daycareโข centers – โคCezanne, โขDowon, Yedam, and Hansol – utilizing a high-temperature, high-pressureโ washing system โคalongside eco-friendly detergents and hot air sterilization. The initiative aims to alleviate hygiene concerns for parents โand reduceโ the workload for daycare staff. The โคprocess adheres โto stringent hygiene standards set by both the Ministry of Environment and the Food and Drug Management, with officials anticipating a reduction in foodโ poisoning and infectiousโ disease incidents.
beyond daycare centers, Andong city demonstrated the scalability of โฃits eco-friendly approach during recent festivals. During peak periods, the city deployedโ an average โขof 800โ multi-use containers daily, drastically reducing wasteโค compared to the approximately 10,000โฃ disposable bags used at the Andong Internationalโ Mask Dance Festivalโฃ last year. This innovative system hasโฃ been lauded โคas a potential โmodel for future eco-friendly festivalโ operations.The initiatives have been met with enthusiastic approval from both citizens and โขbusinesses.”I specializeโข in the cleaning process, so I feel relieved that the plate used byโฃ the children is โขmuch cleaner,” shared one parent. Daycare โฃcenters and participating merchants have also reported a reduction in both hygiene-related โคburdens and waste disposal costs.
eco Washing Andong, the self-supporting company operating under โthe โขAndong Regional Self-support Center, plans to further enhance โฃtransparency and reliability by expanding collection โฃpoints and โฃproviding โreal-time updates โonโค the cleaning process. โThe company also intends to โขbroaden โคits service offerings beyond daycare centers, targeting sectors like funeral homes and otherโ areas withโ significantโ hygieneโ and waste management โneeds.
“This project โis not just a cleaning โsupport, but a sustainable modelโ that includes the โขhealth of children and citizens, โeco-friendly โtransitions in the region, and even the โcreation of vulnerable jobs,” stated Park Kyung-gu, head of theโ Andong Regional Self-Support Center.
Andong Mayor Kwon Ki-chang echoedโฃ this sentiment, emphasizing theโ city’s โcommitment to developing an “ESG model that leads to the creation of low-income people in โconnection with โขthe self-support center.”